Iranian president says he does not want war with Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that his country does not seek war with Israel and is not trying to destabilize the Middle East.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that his country does not seek war with Israel and is not trying to destabilize the Middle East.

Pezeshkian accused Israel of stoking the conflict, citing the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, in Tehran on July 31. But he called for dialogue to resolve the turmoil in the region.

"We want to live in peace," Pezeshkian told reporters in New York City as the United Nation General Assembly gets underway.

“We don’t wish to be the cause of instability in the region," he added.

Pezeshkian's remarks come as U.S. officials fear the prospect of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran. Israeli airstrikes killed more than 180 people and wounded almost 730 on Monday, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said, a dramatic expansion of Israel's aerial attack.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iranian-president-says-not-want-war-israel-rcna172190

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